MISSION

Mayday Space is a multi-story organizing center and social hub in Bushwick that works in tandem with our sister space Starr Bar a short walk away. Mayday is both a neighborhood resource and a citywide destination for engaging programming, a home for radical thought and debate, and a welcoming gathering place for people and movements to work, learn, celebrate and build together.

As an organizing center and events space for grassroots organizations to host their fundraiser parties, leadership retreats and more, Mayday inspires and sustains a justice-oriented community that is both publicly identifiable and approachable. We are creating a new innovative model that connects to the solidarity economy, promotes a shared sense of stewardship, and attracts new individuals to social justice politics in a culturally-dynamic setting.

As a movement project, Mayday also works with long-time community organizers to amplify neighborhood issues such as immigrant rights, food justice, tenants protections, gentrification and displacement as well as broader global issues such as climate justice and Internet freedom. To carry out this work, we’ve co-created empowering leadership structures for collectively managing the space and shaping the direction of our programming and organizing projects.

By offering access to our space on a sliding scale (down to free access), we prioritize people of color, immigrants, women-led groups, LGBTQ, poor and working class communities. The programming events Mayday will encourage and curate will likewise emphasize the voices, creativity and leadership of frontline communities.

VISION

We know that a radically more just, equitable, and democratic New York City is possible. Mayday is a resource for a range of local and global change-makers working to envision and promote alternatives to current injustices, to build collective power, and to push for broader systemic change. Mayday is a space where all the pressing issues, campaigns and movements of the day are addressed via public presentations, debates, organizing meetings and community-building activities. We promote a culture of research and reflection within broader movement circles that elevates conversations about strategy, tactics, the nature of the injustices we face, and the institutions we need to transform.

RATIONALE

Movements and organizations need sustainable and supportive infrastructure to maximize their impact. There are few inviting spaces in NYC that serve as both organizing hubs and social venues to promote solidarity across a wide range of groups and communities. As a result, many politically-engaged New Yorkers often live and work in relative isolation and miss out on opportunities to collaborate, share best practices, or simply connect on a personal level with like-minded people. Mayday fills this void in the social justice landscape of our city.

By coming into a shared space, disparate activists and organizations will feel connected to a broader social justice community, allowing for the cross-pollination of ideas and relationships. As many of our organizations are unable to effectively advance a policy agenda on our own, the trust and cooperation engendered between activists, community-based organizations, labor, and other progressive institutions will strengthen the coalitions needed to win meaningful reforms. And as we achieve our goals, we need spaces like Mayday to create an open political culture, celebrate our victories and keep momentum going.

VALUES

We believe in the right of all communities to live, create and work with dignity, respect and equitable access to resources. We are a collectively managed project that values cooperation, mutual aid, and believes that people and the planet come before profits. We uphold anti-oppressive values in our organizing against racism, sexism, transphobia, ableism, homophobia, exploitation, xenophobia, and other injustices . We believe structural problems require structural solutions. We will work with institutions that uphold and practice these same values.

Facebook

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Directions

Mayday is located in Bushwick, Brooklyn, a short 9min walk from our sister space Starr Bar.

Mayday Space: Take the L train to the Dekalb stop exiting at the intersection of Wyckoff Ave and Stanhope St. Walk against traffic on Stanhope and take a right one block up at St. Nicholas Ave.

Starr Bar: Take the L train to the Jefferson stop exiting at the intersection of Wyckoff Ave and Starr St. Walk against traffic on Starr for half a block.